Monday, June 01, 2009

Scattershot Thoughts from June 1

LeBron James showed bad sportsmanship. Period... The Principal Charity Classic is fun, well run, and hopefully not done... The last remaining survivor of the Titanic just died, and she never saw the Cubs win a World Series in her lifetime... In a long series featuring the NBA's no doubt, best two teams, the Lakers win... Did I really hear Charles Barkley call Kenny Smith "Numb Nuts" live on TNT?... The Stanley Cup is decided... The NHL playoffs are awesome, but they don't deliver enough viewers to keep from being bumped off NBC by "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here"... Roger Federer will win the French Open and stake a claim to greatest ever... NASCAR has done everything but give Dale Jr a head-start. He's just not that great a driver... "Twilight" won best picture at the MTV Movie Awards. Did kids actually watch the movie?... Shawn Johnson was there. Shawn Johnson is everywhere... Do you think Bruno teabaggingEminem was real or staged?... Can't wait to see what Conan does with the "Tonight Show", but I still miss Carson... Whatever happened to Arsenio?... Iowa-Iowa State kickoff time of 11 a.m. is too early... My schoolboy crush was Brooke Shields. Ah, "Blue Lagoon"... Matt and Miller are good together... Deace and Miller are good together... Nachos and Miller are good together... I'm taking the kids as an excuse, but I can't wait to see "Up"... "The Hangover" looks like the funniest movie since "Role Models"... Worst MLB uniform ever? Gotta be the '76 White Sox in shorts and pointed collars... I'm tired of rain...

This Lebron thing is ridiculous. To quote Allen Iverson, "We talkin about a handshake, we talkin about a handshake, not the championship finals featuring Kobe and Superman, we talkin about a handshake.Sure it would have been "nice" if Lebron had congratulated the Magic (and not just Howard, what's that about?) but he didn't. It would have been "nice" if he would have gone to the podium after the game and been respectful, but he didn't. It's not like he was charged with sexual assault or spit in somebody's face or called his producer a pu**y why on national TV (Barkley), we're talkin about something he didn't do.None of us were there, maybe he was so upset, that if he were to put himself in those situations, he would have said something out of anger that would he would have regretted. Maybe he calls out his team, or coach, or the Magic. Or maybe he was protecting his teammates and coach from unfair questions from the media about their performances. Who knows. I'm sure all you "perfect" people out there, have never made a less than perfect decision under intense heat and anguish. Remember, Lebron is still only 24, and for the most part, has been a classy and likable guy. Pretty rare in these days and ages.

It's sad that this small little non-gesture is the big NBA story, when two other teams are getting ready to battle for the championship. I guess it's official, tabloid news has taken a stranglehold on sports too.

What is the deal with all of a sudden the handshake after a loss is expected. I've been watching sports for 30 years, and the only sports where it's expected is hockey, tennis, and golf.You ever see professional baseball players shaking hands after a series ends? No, you usually see the losers looking bewildered in the dugout and the winners jumping on each other on the mound.

Almost forgot, a lot of peoples arguments yesterday on the radio were that you are taught at a young age in little league to shake hands after a game. If that's such a life long lesson, then why doesn't it carry on to the pros of the same sport it started in as a youth?I think this is a classic case of we love to build them up, and we love to tear them down.

The whole LeBron thing is a non-issue. Maybe he left the floor for his safety? Either way, sometimes keeping your mouth shut is the best thing. King James is still the best player in the NBA.

On another note, you talk about sportsmanship. We see those commercials about the NBA and how they "care". Well, the NBA Cares, but they don't help each other off the floor after a hard foul? Give me a break!

You are wrong on this whole Lebron handshake crap Murph, YOU are WRONG!When the NBA makes it an unwritten code to do so, then you may have a point. This wasn't the NHL, it was the NBA, where sportsmanship is optional.

Many of you are right. What LeBron James did is not a crime; it's not the end of the world; it's not that big of a deal. What it is, however, plain and simple is an example of bad sportsmanship and lack of respect. He's not the first, and won't be the last, to not bother congratulating the winners, which is tradition in the NBA.

Not talking to the media also hurts his sport. TV money is where LeBron and many others make the bulk of their fortunes. It's easy to be a stand up guy when you win; it's harder when you lose.

Look, those of us who have played sports have all finished a game and been mad, emotional, and crushed. We can relate. The most disappointing thing about LeBron's behavior, to me, is that he had 24 hours to cool off and didn't bother apologizing or acknowledging he had done anything wrong. You can bet David Stern and Nike will both be in his ear, if they haven't been already.

I'm not blowing this out of proportion. Compared to many NBA knucklehead moves, this is nothing, and LeBron's track record is good---but that doesn't mean he gets a pass.

Miller is good (not Miller Lite), but Deace is overbearing and arrogant. He is not really interested in anyone's opinion but his own because he is always right. I think it is an injustice to John Miller to be teamed with Steve Deace. I refuse to listen.

Twilight is terrible. But not only are the pre-teens, tweens, and teens obssesed with it- so are the 30+ year-old women. They think that vampire kid is the next coming of James Dean. It takes them back, or something. Worst part is, the whole series is a complete ripoff of the Sookie/True Blood books that came out a couple years before Twilight.MTV is not cool anymore. It hasn't been for years. The Bruno movie is going to be halarious, though. The HBO shows were the best.